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North western Pilot
Vol. V Minneapolis, Minn., January 13, 1925 No. 4
CULTURE AND SERVICE
By Frank M. Goodchild
Two things Christian young people should seek, —culture and service. They should see to it that they are being themselves developed, and bringing forth the graces of the Spirit, and so honoring the Saviour in the attainment of a beautiful character. But they should also regard all the traits of char­acter they acquire as part of their equipment for the service of their fellow men. These two things, cul­ture and service, are inseparably joined. God has joined them, and what God has joined together men ought not to put asunder. When the Saviour came into the world he came to serve. He said: “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.” It is for the servant to be as his Master.
It would seem as though culture ought to pro­mote service. The man best able to help, ought to render the most help. That seems like a truism. But one of the first effects of culture is to make a person stand apart from other people. We often lament that going to college takes the fine edge off the Christian zeal of our young folks. It is a pity, but it is true. Culture seems to make away from service, to unfit a man for it, and to put him out of sympathy with those to whom he is to give his service. The first effect of service is to divide men from one another. This is true even in their think­ing. We might suppose that cultured people would be able to “get together” on any subject more read­ily than the unthinking crowd. But it is not so. As you develop the power of thought among people you multiply their differences. There never was a more thoughtful people in this world than the Puri­tans. When the Puritans laid out a village, they al­ways set a school near the meetinghouse. In their judgment education was next to religion itself. And yet when the Puritans went to Holland from England, they were about four hundred in number, but they had three hundred sects among them. And God had to keep them in Holland eleven years before it was safe to let them land on Plymouth Rock.
It is precisely so in this matter of service. Just as fast as a man rises above the average of his fel­lows, he is likely to look down on the multitude first with pity and then with ill-disguised contempt. There is nothing more common than for a man whom God has well endowed to feel a sort of dis­dain for the ordinary man. He is apt to yield to the temptation to be like the German whom Cole­ridge saw at Frankfort, who always took off his hat and made a deep bow whenever he ventured to speak of himself. He is apt to contract the habit of the English pug dog, that goes about with his nose turned up at all creation. The man of culture is apt to say as Peter did on the Mount of Trans­figuration, “Let us make three tabernacles, and stay here,” and so turn the mount of privilege into
a mount of seclusion from others. He is apt to prefer the company of the select few with whom he may “sit on the hills like gods together careless of mankind.” It was that spirit that made the Scotch­man, Carlyle, speak of the population of England as “thirty millions mostly fools.” It was that spirit that made the American, Emerson, speak of “the mob of mankind.” It was that spirit that made the Frenchman, Thiers, speak of “the plebeian major­ity.” But no such words as those ever fell from the lips of the Saviour. No such thoughts as those lived in his heart. Though he was the Son of the Most High, it was his habit to call the least of us, His brethren.
To be sure I know that there are some sorts of knowledge that are looked upon as worth gaining just for their own sake. I asked a young man some time ago why he was studying French. He said, “Oh, merely as an accomplishment.” Now, you know, there is no room in the Christian life for mere accomplishments. No knowledge is of any account there that has not a practical end in view. We study that we may serve. One might better know nothing than know a great deal and do noth­ing. We have better than human authority for that. The man who knows his Lord’s will and does it not we are told is to be beaten with many stripes. Jesus Christ said: “If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them.” Doing is the test of one’s piety. Mind you, I did not say “Doing is piety.” That is a very subtle modern heresy, that puts what we call “social service” in the place of Christian service. You may render all sorts of social service and yet lack the peculiar Christian quality in what you do. There are those who will say to Christ by and by, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name have done many wonderful works?” And then Christ declares that He will say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” It evidently is possible to be busy about what is apparently good work and yet not to be in the Lord’s service at all. And so I have not said “Doing good is piety.” But I can say with confidence that doing good is the test of one’s piety. We hear a great deal about heresy in these days, the heresy of not believing what God would have us believe. And that is a serious mat­ter, not to have one’s mind in accord with the mind of God. But there is a worse heresy than that, and that is the heresy of not doing what God would have us do. And the heresy of not doing what God would have us do is as much worse than the heresy of not thinking what God would have us think as a deed is weightier than a thought.
We ought to learn that no man is good unless he is good for something; that there is no such
I

Copyright University of Northwestern – St. Paul. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes without the express written consent of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul.

North western Pilot
Vol. V Minneapolis, Minn., January 13, 1925 No. 4
CULTURE AND SERVICE
By Frank M. Goodchild
Two things Christian young people should seek, —culture and service. They should see to it that they are being themselves developed, and bringing forth the graces of the Spirit, and so honoring the Saviour in the attainment of a beautiful character. But they should also regard all the traits of char­acter they acquire as part of their equipment for the service of their fellow men. These two things, cul­ture and service, are inseparably joined. God has joined them, and what God has joined together men ought not to put asunder. When the Saviour came into the world he came to serve. He said: “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister.” It is for the servant to be as his Master.
It would seem as though culture ought to pro­mote service. The man best able to help, ought to render the most help. That seems like a truism. But one of the first effects of culture is to make a person stand apart from other people. We often lament that going to college takes the fine edge off the Christian zeal of our young folks. It is a pity, but it is true. Culture seems to make away from service, to unfit a man for it, and to put him out of sympathy with those to whom he is to give his service. The first effect of service is to divide men from one another. This is true even in their think­ing. We might suppose that cultured people would be able to “get together” on any subject more read­ily than the unthinking crowd. But it is not so. As you develop the power of thought among people you multiply their differences. There never was a more thoughtful people in this world than the Puri­tans. When the Puritans laid out a village, they al­ways set a school near the meetinghouse. In their judgment education was next to religion itself. And yet when the Puritans went to Holland from England, they were about four hundred in number, but they had three hundred sects among them. And God had to keep them in Holland eleven years before it was safe to let them land on Plymouth Rock.
It is precisely so in this matter of service. Just as fast as a man rises above the average of his fel­lows, he is likely to look down on the multitude first with pity and then with ill-disguised contempt. There is nothing more common than for a man whom God has well endowed to feel a sort of dis­dain for the ordinary man. He is apt to yield to the temptation to be like the German whom Cole­ridge saw at Frankfort, who always took off his hat and made a deep bow whenever he ventured to speak of himself. He is apt to contract the habit of the English pug dog, that goes about with his nose turned up at all creation. The man of culture is apt to say as Peter did on the Mount of Trans­figuration, “Let us make three tabernacles, and stay here,” and so turn the mount of privilege into
a mount of seclusion from others. He is apt to prefer the company of the select few with whom he may “sit on the hills like gods together careless of mankind.” It was that spirit that made the Scotch­man, Carlyle, speak of the population of England as “thirty millions mostly fools.” It was that spirit that made the American, Emerson, speak of “the mob of mankind.” It was that spirit that made the Frenchman, Thiers, speak of “the plebeian major­ity.” But no such words as those ever fell from the lips of the Saviour. No such thoughts as those lived in his heart. Though he was the Son of the Most High, it was his habit to call the least of us, His brethren.
To be sure I know that there are some sorts of knowledge that are looked upon as worth gaining just for their own sake. I asked a young man some time ago why he was studying French. He said, “Oh, merely as an accomplishment.” Now, you know, there is no room in the Christian life for mere accomplishments. No knowledge is of any account there that has not a practical end in view. We study that we may serve. One might better know nothing than know a great deal and do noth­ing. We have better than human authority for that. The man who knows his Lord’s will and does it not we are told is to be beaten with many stripes. Jesus Christ said: “If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them.” Doing is the test of one’s piety. Mind you, I did not say “Doing is piety.” That is a very subtle modern heresy, that puts what we call “social service” in the place of Christian service. You may render all sorts of social service and yet lack the peculiar Christian quality in what you do. There are those who will say to Christ by and by, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name have done many wonderful works?” And then Christ declares that He will say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” It evidently is possible to be busy about what is apparently good work and yet not to be in the Lord’s service at all. And so I have not said “Doing good is piety.” But I can say with confidence that doing good is the test of one’s piety. We hear a great deal about heresy in these days, the heresy of not believing what God would have us believe. And that is a serious mat­ter, not to have one’s mind in accord with the mind of God. But there is a worse heresy than that, and that is the heresy of not doing what God would have us do. And the heresy of not doing what God would have us do is as much worse than the heresy of not thinking what God would have us think as a deed is weightier than a thought.
We ought to learn that no man is good unless he is good for something; that there is no such
I